Professor Pat Utomi, a Labour Party (LP) chieftain, responded to the notion that the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, is stingy, saying that the country is in desperate need of such a man to stop the economy from bleeding out.
He said the former Anambra State governor possesses the qualities necessary to put an end to what he called “transactional government,” which has become the norm in governments led by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
While speaking at a program monitored by The Herald, Utomi said “If you look at his Anambra experience, let’s not forget that Peter Obi among the things he has done is rebuild democracy.
“In Anambra they used to lock up their governors in the toilet and stuffs like godfathers, schools were closed, everything was shut, and no pension benefits were being paid. When he comes to that process, Anambra becomes a new kind of place, pension was paid, and others.
“So from what I know of him, he has a transformation mindset. I think there’s this thing they say that he is stingy, my goodness the only thing you need now is a stingy man to run the country.
“The guys are bleeding the place, you need a guy to stop this nonsense, stop the bleeding.”
Professor Utomi stated that he believes Nigerians should vote for Obi over other candidates in the February 25, 2023 presidential election because he is convinced that the PDP and APC candidates will not move the country forward.
He insisted that they would continue with the “transactional government,” and that their friends would prosper while Nigeria would suffer.
“These parties the way they are structured are so transactions driven that to emerge in the process you have already sold up. I will give the oil wells to this guy, you have committed that ministry to this guy and he is asking that a certain percentage of the budget of that ministry will come to him.
“I’m not talking about stuff in the air, it’s stuff I have dealt with; I have spoken out personally to all of them aloud,” Utomi said.
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